


The Tale of Krystal Pines: New Friends, Old Enemies

by orphan_account



Series: The Tale of Krystal Pines [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Blood, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Language/Cursing, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Tragedy, Violence, alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-19
Updated: 2016-12-18
Packaged: 2018-04-05 03:59:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 20,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4164894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Krystal Pines is a young 13-year-old girl who has moved to Gravity Falls to stay with her grandfather, Stan Pines, due to the death of her mother. It doesn't take long for her to make some new friends- and meet some of Dipper and Mabel's old enemies.<br/>DISCONTINUED</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone. This story is currently unfinished, I have no idea how many chapters it will be, but I do know it will be pretty long, and this story is just a part 1 to a trilogy. This OC of mine, Krystal Pines, is a complicated character. She'll face a lot of things, and I do hope you enjoy this story!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone. This story is currently unfinished, I have no idea how many chapters it will be, but I do know it will be pretty long, and this story is just a part 1 to a trilogy. This OC of mine, Krystal Pines, is a complicated character. She'll face a lot of things, and I do hope you enjoy this story! Also, this takes place five years after season one of GF, so nonthing about season two has actually happened. With the exception that Stan and the twins know about the other knowing about the supernatural. Other than that, things are like they stalled for five years after season one sort of, only, the twins do return every summer to Gravity Falls, and things like that.

"Are you two sure you wanna go in alone?" Stan asked Dipper and Mabel. The twins nodded and Stan wished them luck.

Mabel and Dipper slowly walked to the front doors of the Oregon state prison, which was strangely not too far from Gravity Falls. They were here to see a prisoner before they left for the summer to go back to school.

Dipper and Mabel were led by a guard to the waiting room. After 5 minutes, the 12-year-old twins were taken through the rows of cells to one in particular. It was empty except for a short figure sitting on the prison bed.

"Howdy Mabel. Howdy _Dipper_." Gideon said as he stood and walked over to the bars of his cell, saying Dipper's name with obvious disdain.

"Hello Gideon." Mabel replied, her voice laced with venom.

Gideon smiled. "And how's my marshmella been doin'? Did ya come to visit me so soon?" he asked, trying to seem innocent.

"I am _not_ your marshmallow, Gideon!" she replied.

"And we didn't come to visit you. We have something we need to ask you." Dipper informed him.

"Do ya, now? Well, spit it out." Gideon ordered.

"We need to know what you promised Bill Cipher." Dipper stated, as if it were normal.

"That demon who failed me? I really don't know. He said he'd work out the details with me later. Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what that insane demon wanted. Why do ya ask?" Gideon answered.

"Because he got super mad when we cost him whatever he planned to get out of the deal. It must've been important." Mabel explained.

"Well, like I said, I don't know. So you're wastin' your time asking me." Gideon told them.

"Thanks for nothing!" Dipper yelled back sarcastically as he and Mabel walked away.

"You're welcome!" Gideon replied, using the same sarcasm as Dipper.

As the twins got back in the car Stan asked, "So, did you two find out anything?"

"Nope." Mabel and Dipper replied in unison. Dipper then muttered, "Just a waste of time."

The con man dramatically gasped and sarcastically exclaimed, "Oh my, Short-Stack wasted someone's time?! That's _never_ happened before!"

The trio broke into fit of laughter as they continued driving down the road.

* * *

_Mabel held a Nyarf toy dart gun and aimed it carefully at her target. She pulled the trigger, and the styrofome bullet hit the small door, knocking it out of Bill's hand and into the bottomless pit from one of Stan's memories._

_She heard the demon cry out as he watched the door fall into the bottomless, black abyss, and she heard Gideon break off the deal and say that he'd switch to Plan B. But Mabel didn't have much time to worry about what Plan B was, because she heard the angry demon's voice boom, " **You**! You have no idea what you just cost me! Do you have any idea what I'm like- When. I'm. **MAD?!** "_

_The demon turned red, growing in size as various red symbols flashed in his black eye._

_Then, everything went black..._

Mabel awoke with a start, nearly screaming and waking up her brother. She sighed, thinking about the events earlier; when she and her brother went to see Gideon. She wasn't sure what Bill had wanted from him, but obviously, it had been important. She yawned and glanced at the clock.

" _Well, whatever it was isn't worth wondering about at two in the morning."_ She thought. With that, she drifted back to sleep.

* * *

Hopeless...

He'd never felt more hopeless.

In fact, he'd **never** felt hopeless

But he did now.

He felt like the most hopeless being in existence, because there was nothing he could do but watch as the bullet effortlessly glided through his love's chest, and straight through her heart.

The day had started out so well, though.

Blue skies, a calm breeze, happiness all around. At least, as much happiness as there could be when you're over-seas and away from your friends and family.

It all went south from there.

People broke in, shooting everyone they saw. His beloved was no exception. All the soldiers fought, but only a few survived. As the woman he loved was hiding, he was hoping. Hoping they wouldn't find her, hoping they wouldn't kill her.

But they found her.

And she fought.

And fought.

Until a gunshot rang out, and there was a sickening _thud_.

The woman's limp body fell to the ground, blood dripping from the wound, her eyes closed.

She was dead; gone forever.

As he hopelessly watched the scene unfold, he let loose screams of rage and anguish. Tears stung his eyes, and eventually spilled down his face.

" _For the first time, I've felt hopeless. There's nothing I can do. There was nothing I could do anyway; I'm trapped here...trapped and hopeless."_ he thought.

His grieving continued, lasting until he could not scream nor cry anymore.

He then decided he wanted to at least see the grave.

" _I'll miss you my love. I'll miss you until the end of time. I'll never forget you. And I'll help her, I promise. You may not want me near her, but she'll need me one day. And I'll be there, to keep her safe and care for her. I don't blame you for leaving her, it wasn't your fault. She'll miss you as much as I will. Good-bye, my love, my beautiful wife."_

With those final parting words, he looked at his former wife's grave, then turned his attention to his left hand. The glint of the golden wedding ring caught in the sunlight. He smiled as a tear ran down his cheek.


	2. Chapter One

It was Summer; late June to be exact.

The sun glowed warmly, heating up the ground where the children played, the adults grilled, and the teens sat around on their phones or computers, or possibly out by the pool.

But 17-year-old Dipper Pines sat in his dark blue pick-up truck, waiting outside the Gravity Falls courthouse for his cousin, Krystal, to call. Dipper hadn't changed much in appearance; he still had the same messy hair, slightly pale skin, and wiry frame. Mabel however, had started wearing a little make up and had cut her hair. It now only reached her mid-back.

But she wasn't here, she was back at the Mystery Shack helping Wendy -who had taken off the summer at college- and Soos get the shack ready for the party later on.

Dipper hadn't seen Krystal since she was 7, one summer when his parents had driven him and Mabel all the way to eastern Texas, where she lived in Dallas.

Now she was 13-years-old.

He hadn't seen many photos or recieved many calls, texts, or e-mails from her. It was beacause when she didn't have school, she had some other activity. She called, texted, or e-mailed them every now and then, but their schedules were pretty booked too.

He wasn't quite sure what she looked like now beacause the last picture he got of her was her 5th Grade yearbook picture.

He could still see it in his mind, too; her frizzy dark orange hair in a ponytail, her braces showing in her large, Mabel-ish smile, the freckles that were splayed across her cheeks and the bridge of her nose, her pale skin, and her stormy grey eyes. She was wearing a green, purple, black, and grey plaid top with elbow-length sleeves, and a pair of faded jeans along with her favorite cowboy boots and hat.

He knew that she participated in several rodeo events and trail rides, and she loved horses. She even had her own horse; a black stallion she had named Midnight. She was sad when she learned she'd have to leave him behind in Texas and move to Gravity Falls.

She was a lot like him and Mabel; she was smart, and loved to read and solve mysteries, but she was also very social and had a kind personality. And she was good at dancing, drawing, and, of course, horse-back riding. But she was also a bit mysterious and had grown a little rebelious over the years.

But today, she sat quietly in the courthouse as everything was sorted out before she was turned over to live with Stan Pines, her grandfather. Her mother had been killed and her father was nowhere to be found, presumably dead. The rest of her family on her mom's side was dead other than Stan, Dipper, Mabel, Mr. and Mrs. Pines, and her aunt Charlene who she lived with in Texas. But even if her father was there, the will stated that Krystal was to be put into Stan's care. No one knew why.

Dipper was jerked out of his memories when his phone buzzed.

_"Dippingsauce, come on in. It's over."_ the messege read.

Dipper rolled his eyes at one of his many nicknames, and climed out of his truck.

He walked in the front door and heard something. It sounded like arguing. And Dipper couldn't help but look for the source. He walked to a door a little farther down the hallway and peeked inside. He saw who he presumed to be the judge, arguing with someone. As Dipper looked closer, he could see something strange about the man; he had grey eyes like Krystal. Dipper listened for only a moment.

"I'm sorry, sir, but there's nothing that can be done about it." the judge said.

Dipper slowly closed the door.

"Probably just some custody case over some stupid object." Dipper thought as he walked toward the courtroom.

When he opened the door, he didn't see anyone in the room. He walked down the aisle until he was at the front row, where he saw a girl laying down on the long bench-seat. She wore a black top, black jeans, and black combat boots. Her dark orange hair was loosely braided to the side and her stormy gray eyes were full of tears that threatend to spill over.

"Krystal?" he asked.

The girl sat up and wiped her eyes, smiling. "H-howdy, Dipper." she managed to weakly reply in her southern accent. The line sent a shiver down Dipper's spine as he remembered another southerner who had said that to him 5 years ago, back when he and Mabel had first visited Gravity Falls.

Dipper held his arms out and it took a moment for Krystal to recognize the gesture. She hugged Dipper and shuddered a couple times as if she was about to start crying again. He patted her back gently and said, "I know, I miss her too. But she's in a better place now, Krissy."

Krystal shuddered again and shakily replied, "I-I know, b-but I really m-m-miss he-her."

"Come on, let's go to the Mystery Shack." Dipper said as wrapped his arm around her shoulder. He led her to the truck, they climbed in, and Dipper drove them to the Mystery Shack.

When they got there, Mabel tackled Krystal with a hug and tried to lighten her spirits.

Soos and Wendy were setting up for a party to welcome her, and Stan was acting normal, but everyone knew he was upset over the death of his daughter.

When Krystal walked in and saw Stan, she ran up to him and hugged him. The old man stumbled back a bit, but hugged her.

"It's good to see ya, kiddo!" he exclaimed with a smile.

"It's great to see y'all too, grandpa." she replied, smiling back.

Stan put on a sireous face and told her, "Kid, I love ya, but you have to lose the accent." Seeing the confused expression on Krystal's face, he laughed.

"I'm just kidding!" He wiped a tear from his eye and continued, "You gotta stop taking things so sireously, Krystal."

"But I wasn't-"

"Shhh, just go with it, dude." Soos said, having silenced her with a finger to her lips.

Krystal raised an eyebrow and glanced at her cousins who just shook their heads and muttered, "Only in Gravity Falls."

Afterwards, Krystal was led upstairs to the attic where there were two beds. She and Mabel would share this room, and Dipper slept in another room. She unpacked her things and Mabel helped her get ready for the party.

"Oooh! You should wear this one! No, this one! No, no, no! You should wear this one!" Mabel squealed as she looked through the dresses in her closet.

"Um, Mabel? Can't I just wear somethin' simple, like a shirt and some jeans instead?" Krystal asked. Mabel only gasped.

"Krystal, it's a party for _you_! You _have_ to wear a dress!" Mabel told her.

"There ain't a single rule that says I _have to_. Besides, if this is a welcome party for me, shouldn't I be in somethin' comfortable? I ain't goin' to some fancy party." she retorted.

Mabel sighed and replied, "Fine. But when we do go to a fancy party, you are going to wear a dress and I am going to help you pick it out. Ok?"

Krystal nodded. "Sure, why not? I'm gonna change in the bathroom, alright?" Krystal then picked out a few things from her closet and went into the bathroom to change.

She came out 10 minutes later with a blue and black plaid top with short sleeves, a pair of blue jeans, her cowboy boots, and a tan cowboy hat sitting atop her auburn hair which was braided over her shoulder. The front of the shirt was unbuttoned, showing the white t-shirt she wore under it. She also had on a bit of lip gloss.

"Y'all look like ya came out of an 80's disco movie." Krystal said once she caught sight of Mabel's clothes.

Mabel wore a hot pink 80's styled sweater with a turntable on it, with a light blue tank top under it. She had on an emerald green skirt, and a darker green headband with a bow on it. She wore her usual white socks and black flats, but with magenta leg warmers. Her hair was pulled back in a low ponytail.

"We look great! Now let's go, it's party time!" Mabel yelled happily.

Krystal smiled and rolled her eyes as her older cousin drug her downstairs to the party.

* * *

The party was well-decorated, with streamers hanging from the ceiling, balloons floating around, and neon confetti occassionally flying around. Krystal saw Soos at the turn-table controlling the music, which blared from the speakers. Stan sat outside, selling the tickets so that Dipper and Wendy could enjoy the party.

After about half an hour, everyone who was going to come had arrived, so Stan had come in to join the party, even though all he did was eat and try to con some people out of their money; just like he always does.

While Mabel was dancing with some guy and Dipper talked with Wendy and some of their friends, Krystal sat with two of Mabel's friends she'd just been introduced to, Candy and Grenda, and was trying to get to know them.

"So, Krystal, what brings you here to Gravity Falls?" asked Candy, as she adjusted her red-rimmed glasses.

"I would'a thought Mabel had told y'all already." said Krystal. "My mom died, so I'm gonna live with my grandpa Stan." she explained.

Seeing that Candy and Grenda were about to apologize for fear they'd upset her, she quickly added, "But it's ok, because she's in a better place now."

"But what about your dad? Shouldn't you be living with him?" Grenda asked her.

Krystal paused, and once again the two friends realized they'd brought up a touchy subject.

"I...I ain't never met him. I hope to though." she answered, a frown appearing.

"Hey, cheer up, it's not time to be sad." Candy told her.

"It's time to party!" Mabel exclaimed from behind them.

Krystal nodded. "I suppose y'all are right." she said, a smile starting to make its way onto her face. She finished what little food was left on her plate and joined her cousin and friends on the dance floor.

As they all danced, Mabel was the first of the group to realize the sudden change in music. It sounded dramatic, and a lot like the music you'd hear in a movie about a high school or something, during the scene where the popular girls come in.

" _Popular girls..._ " Mabel thought. She heard people murmuring, and felt her cousin lightly nudge her in the ribcage. Mabel looked up and saw the crowd part to reveal Pacifica Northwest and the two other popular girls who followed her around all the time.

The rich blonde walked up to Mabel with a challenging smirked on her make-up covered face. "Hello Mabel, who's the new dork in your posse? Is she the _new sheriff in town_?" Pacifica said coldly, gesturing towards Krystal and refering to her choice of attire.

"Pacifica, this is my cousin, Krystal. And, come on, try to be nice for once." Mabel replied.

But Pacifica ignored her slight scolding and continued with her insults, saying, "I mean, I knew you and your friends were weirdos and all, but Cowgirl here takes your dorkiness to a whole new level."

Pacifica got closer to Krystal, her face mere inches away. "Sorry, hon, but this isn't a rodeo, it's a party. Or rather, a sorry excuse for one." Pacifica flicked Krystal's hat off her head. "Do you wear those rags 'cause your parents are losers just like that con-man relative of yours who owns this lousy shack?" Pacifica asked.

Pacifica could tell she struck a nerve by the way Krystal's eyes teared up. She expected her to run off crying, but instead she got right in her face.

"Look here you popular, rich, cold-hearted brat! Y'all got it easy, with life handed to ya on a silver platter, living all fancy with the best clothes! And you have all you need, all you want, as well as _both_ your parents! My mother _died_ fighting to protect this country, and I've never even met my father! I wear these clothes because I can and want to! I don't need some spoiled, rich, one-dimensional, valley girl stereotype to walk into my life and try to make me feel worse than I already feel! So if y'all are gonna be that way, then leave me alone!"

Tears spilled over Krystal's eyes and fell onto her shirt. She turned and walked away, grabbed a cup of Pitt Cola from the snack table, and walked into the gift shop, which was currently closed. She sat on the stool behind the cash register and stared out the window as the rain poured lightly outside.

Stan walked in the gift shop and spotted his granddaughter sitting at the counter.

"Kid, I-"

"I know the gift shop is closed and that y'all want me to enjoy the party, but I need some alone time for a minute." Krystal told him.

"Actually, I was going to tell you that I thought that was impressive. What you did back there, standing up to Pacifica, I've never seen anyone other than Mabel and Dipper even attempt to stand up to her. That was great!" Stan exclaimed, patting Krystal on the back.

"Really?" she asked, looking back at him with watery eyes.

He smiled warmly and nodded. "Really. Now clean yourself up and go have some fun!" he told her.

She hugged him for a moment and said, "Thanks, grandpa."

"No problem, Kiddo, no problem," he said, hugging her. He ruffled her hair a little and said, "Now get outta her you little rascal. I got a rep to keep up."

Krystal ran to the bathroom, washed her face, fixed her appearance a little, and went back to the party.

When she walked in the room, people applauded her and chanted her name for a few moments. She also noticed that Pacifica and her two friends were gone.

" _Maybe that was pretty impressive..."_ she thought.

Before they all knew it, hours had passed and it was already 11:30. Everyone went home to go to bed, while Mabel, Dipper, and Krystal went upstairs. They all took showers, put on their pj's, and drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

Well, almost dreamless...


	3. Chapter Two

Sunlight streamed through the window, hitting Krystal directly in the face. The young red-haired teen groaned and rolled over.

"Krissy!" Mabel squealed, shaking Krystal's shoulders. "Come on, get up!"

Krystal groaned again, but sat up.

"What do you want, Mabel? We have" -she glanced at her clock, which read 7:20- "an hour and ten minutes before breakfast." Krystal told her, a hint of anger in her voice at the last few words.

Mabel beamed widely.

"Look, we weren't able to celebrate your 13th birthday because you weren't here. But you are here now, and it's exactly one week after your birthday, so..." The brunette drug the red-head out of her bed and showed her what she had laid out for her to wear for the day; a faded blue jean skirt, a black tank top to wear under a white sweater with the words 'Happy B-Day To Me!' in different colors, a pair of white socks, and a pair of black flats.

"I tried to stay a bit closer to your style with the blue jean skirt." Mabel said.

"Uh, Mabel, I can pick out my own clothes." Krystal said to her, hinting that she didn't want to wear what Mabel had picked out.

Mabel stuck out her bottom lip and looked at Krystal with her best puppy dog eyes.

"Please," the 17-year-old pleaded, almost sounding pathetic.

Krystal rolled her eyes.

"Can I at least wear my boots and some tights instead of those socks and flats?" Krystal asked.

"Combat boots or cowboy boots?" Mabel inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Combat boots." Krystal confirmed.

Mabel beamed and nodded. "I guess so,"

"Well, since this is settled, I'll just go ahead and go back to sleep. Wake me up at a quarter 'til breakfast time." Krystal flopped back on her bed and pulled up the covers, only to have them yanked off again. The red-head glared at Mabel, who grabbed her hands and pulled her back out of the bed again.

"No more sleeping! If you're gonna look good today, you have to get ready early!" the brunette declared. "I have the whole day planned out!"

Krystal groaned in protest, but did nothing to stop her cousin, who pulled her into the bathroom and began fixing her hair and deciding on which lip gloss she should use.

An hour later, the two girls left their room and headed downstairs.

Mabel was wearing a red sweater with Waddles's face sewn on it, a purple skirt, black flats, and white socks. Her hair was in a ponytail, and had a bright red headband in it. Her make up consisted of mascara, a bit of red eyeliner, and a bit of red lipstick.

Krystal was wearing what Mabel had set out for her, except for black leggings and a pair of black combat boots instead of white socks and black flats. She had on red lip gloss and a bit of mascara. Her hair was braided down her back with a black and white ponytail holder. She also had two small silver hoop earrings in each ear.

As both girls walked down the stairs, they spotted Dipper with his head on the table.

"'Sup, Dippingsauce?" Mabel asked.

Dipper groaned. "I don't want to talk about it." he said.

"Come on now, it can't be that bad." Krystal assured him. But Dipper only shook his head.

The red-head sat next to her cousin and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll just laugh at me." he told them.

"No we won't. I promise." Krystal promised.

Dipper sighed and said, "Well, I had a dream last night. Mabel was getting married to Gideon," -he shivered- "Wendy was getting married to Robbie, and I was marrying..." -he shivered again- "Waddles. And I was the one who had to wear the dress. And Mabel designed it." The teenage boy shivered again and looked at his twin and cousin. He glared at Mabel when he saw that she was obviously trying hard not to laugh.

A few seconds passed...

Then half a minute...

Then another half minute...

Before they knew it, it had been two whole minutes.

Mabel couldn't take it anymore, and burst out laughing.

"Mabel!" Dipper and Krystal shouted at the same time.

Krystal hugged Dipper.

"Don't worry, Dipper. I won't laugh at ya." she whispered.

"Krissy, you're impossibly nice and compassionate. Like, it's weird, even for Gravity Falls. And that's saying something." the slightly younger Mystery Twin said.

Krystal shrugged. "Maybe y'all just don't have a lot of compassionate people around ya. Anyways, Mabel-" Krystal stopped as she looked at Mabel, who was still giggling and trying not to cry and make her mascara run.

"It's not that funny, Mabel." Krystal said, a stern edge to her voice.

"I-I'm sorry. It's just-" she began laughing again. "Dipper marrying Waddles is just too funny!" she exclaimed.

"What's with all the laughing? Is someone getting comically injured?" Stan asked as he walked in the room. He sat down a pitcher of orange juice, and some pancakes shaped like his face.

"Yay, Stan-cakes!" the twins exclaimed.

"Stan-cakes?" Krystal asked as she poured herself a glass of orange juice.

"Yeah! They're what we call the pancakes Grunkle Stan makes us because they're shaped like his face." Mabel explained as she stuffed her mouth with pancakes.

Krystal cringed at the sight.

"Mabel, don't talk with your mouth full." Stan chided.

Krystal inwardly sighed in relief.

" _At least someone here other than Dipper and I is sane._ " she thought.

"Unless you're gonna do it right." Stan continued, stuffing his face and displaying how you should properly talk with a full mouth.

"It's an art. Do it right, or don't do it." he said.

Krystal sighed and shook her head.

" _Of coarse,_ " she thought.

"So Mabel," Krystal said, getting the brunette's attention. "What do you have planned for today?"

Mabel swallowed her food, took a sip of orange juice, then beamed.

"Well, I thought we'd go shopping, try on some clothes, ya know. After that, we'll stop by Greasy's Diner and have lunch. Then we'll go to the theater and watch that new horror movie, Bella-Anne. And after that, I'll give you a full tour of the town. Once all of that is done, if we have any time, we can walk through the woods on our way back."

"Uh, Mabel, I don't think walking through the woods is such a good idea. Especially after watching a scary movie." Dipper told her, shooting her a look.

"Oh stop worrying so much. We'll be fine." Mabel waved off.

They all finished their breakfast and Mabel grabbed Krystal's hand and began to drag her out the door.

"Bye Grunkle Stan, bye Dipper!" Mabel said.

"Just try to keep the flirting to a minimum, Mabel! I don't want to hear anymore complaints from guys about you traumatizing them!" Dipper called to them.

Mabel rolled her eyes and the two girls walked out of the Mystery Shack, shutting the door behind them.

"So, you want to walk there or take the cart?" Mabel asked. "We could take my car, but mom and dad wouldn't let me take it here. It was either my car or Dipper's truck, and they decided a truck would be more practical. And Grunkle Stan definitely wouldn't let me take his car. And neither will Dipper when it comes to his truck." the brunette explained.

Krystal shrugged.

"Walk, I guess." she answered.

"Ok, the trail's over here." Mabel said, beckoning for Krystal to follow.

Mabel and Krystal walked down the long dirt trail, making light conversation and seeing some wildlife here and there. As they walked, the two teenagers were unaware of the many eyes that were watching them.

* * *

"Should we attack now?" one of the mysterious figures asked.

"No. We will wait until they come back. With our luck, it will be late afternoon, maybe even nightfall, when they return down this path." a second voice answered, apparently the leader.

"So, just to be clear, we're going after Mabel, correct?" a third voice questioned.

"Yes." the leader confirmed.

"Why not go after the girl with the fire-hair?" a fourth voice inquired. "She's quite a beauty, wouldn't you say?"

A few of the other figures nodded and murmured in agreement.

"It's ' _fiery_ -hair', first of all. Second of all, because that is not our mission. And third of all..." The leader paused to make sure the others were listening. "Enough with the questions! You have your orders, so follow them. Today, we will finally get her back!" the voice proclaimed.

The figure's followers cheered, but were quickly quieted.

"Silence! They can't know we are following them!" the leader told them.

The mysterious figures watched as their target, Mabel, and the girl accompanying her walked down the path.

"Yes..." the leader of the mysterious figures murmured. "Soon, we will have our queen."


	4. Chapter Three

"Wow, this place is huge for such a small town!" Krystal exclaimed.

Both girls had just entered the mall in Gravity Falls, which was quite large indeed. Mabel drug her cousin through various stores and they tried on several outfits and looked an uncountable amount of shoes and jewelry. The only thing they bought were skirts, headbands, and yarn for Mabel, and a pair of black and silver 'K' earrings for Krystal.

"Ok, we're done buyin' stuff. Let's got eat now." Krystal insisted.

"Not just yet. I want to take you to one more store here. It's really fancy and they have a lot of formal clothes." Mabel said as she pulled her cousin in the direction of the extremely classy and extremely expensive store.

As Krystal looked around, she spotted several boys her age or a bit older being dragged around the store by their mothers or sisters or girlfriends.

Mabel was occupied with picking out several dresses in different colors.

"Um, Mabel, none of those dresses are your size. They're too small." Krystal pointed out to the hyper-active teen.

"Well duh, silly! They're not for me, they're for you."

"Come again?"

The red-head was then pushed into a dressing room by her cousin along with several dresses.

"Come out when you have one on." Mabel told her.

Krystal sighed and slipped on one of the dresses. She tried on dress after dress, only for Mabel to shake her head and tell her to try on the next one. What the point of this was, Krystal wasn't sure. But she just went along with it.

Krystal looked at the last dress. It was red like salsa, with spaghetti straps and a sweatheart neckline. It looked to be made of silk, with a small black belt around it right under the bust of the dress, and the skirt of the dress was fashioned like a skort, so it was definitely not made for something like the Waltz.

Krystal slipped it on and turned to look in the mirror. The dress looked great on her, and ended just above the knees. Taking a deep breath, the red-haired girl turned to walk out of the dressing room. Before she could leave the dressing room, a pair of shoes were held over the top of the door.

"I saw the last dress that was left and decided to get these shoes to go along with it. Put 'em on, then come out here." Mabel said.

Krystal grabbed the heels. They were black, about three inches high, and had a cute web-like design on the top of the shoe. She strapped them on and walked out of the dressing room. She walked a bit unsteadily down the hall of dressing rooms, as she wasn't accustomed to wearing heels. When she stepped out into the main area of the store for Mabal to see her dress, she noticed almost everyone turn and stare. As she looked around, she noticed they were staring at her!

"Uh, Mabel, can I change so we can get outta of here? I'm starvin'." Krystal said, hoping to get away from the staring people as soon as she could.

"Krissy, that looks beautiful on you! But sure, go ahead and change and we can go." Mabel replied. "But first!" The brunette then pulled out a camera and snapped a picture of Krystal. "I never miss a scrapbook-ortunity!" she proclaimed.

Krystal breathed a sigh of relief and turned to go back to the dressing rooms when she felt a tap on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a brown-haired boy about her age, maybe a bit older. He had blue eyes and tanned skin.

"Hi, I'm Jackson." he said, holding out his hand.

"I'm Krystal." Krystal replied as she shook his hand.

"You're that girl that stood up to Pacifica last night, aren't you?" Jackson asked.

"Sure am! That girl had it comin', though. She shouldn't have been so mean to me." Krystal told him.

"She's had much more than that coming with all she's done over the years. Anyways, you're new around here, aren't ya?"

"Yeah. I just moved here yesterday from Texas. I lived in Dallas."

"I'd love to here more about that. How about over dinner this Friday, about six-ish? What do you say?" he offered.

Krystal was taken aback. Did this guy just ask her out? Krystal glanced over Jackson's shoulder at her cousin, who was giving her a thumb's-up. Turning her attention back to Jackson, Krystal nodded.

"Sure, I'd love to." she accepted.

"I'll see you then." Krystal held out her hand to shake his good-bye, but he gently took it and kissed it. "Until then, Krystal." Jackson then turned around and walked off.

Mabel was trying not to squeal as the boy walked off and a heavy blush spread across Krystal's face.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" she exclaimed. "Do you know what just happened?!"

"Uh, I got asked to join someone at dinner?" Krsytal replied, hoping the blush would disappear quickly.

"More than that, Krissy! You just got asked out on a date by a cute guy and you haven't even been here for more than, like, twenty-four hours!"

"Whatever." the southerner dismissed. Krystal turned and headed for the dressing room.

"Wait! We have to shop for your date!" Mabel insisted.

"Later, Mabel. I have to eat before I fall over dead like a rattlesnake that ate a poisoned rat." the southerner told her.

"Eww..." Mabel commented.

After changing back into her regular clothes, the girls left for Greasy's Diner.

* * *

"So, what are you thinking of Gravity Falls so far?" Mabel asked as the two girls walked down the street.

"Well, I stood up to the meanest girl in town and I have a date for Friday night, and it hasn't been much more than twenty-four hours since I arrived here. I'd say things are going pretty good. How about y'all?"

"It's been great! Especially since we have you here every summer."

"Great!"

Both girls walked into the diner and sat down on stools at the bar.

"Good morning girls!" Lazy Susan greeted.

"Hey Lazy Susan! This is my cousin, Krystal Pines." Mabel replied.

"Howdy, there." Krystal said.

"Hello Krystal. You sound like you're from somewhere in the south." the waitress commented.

"I am. I'm from Dallas, Texas." the girl informed her.

"Well, ya sure sound a lot like-" but the waitress stopped herself. She knew better than to say that name around here. And especially in front of Mabel Pines.

"I sound like who?" Krystal asked.

"Oh, it's no one, Krystal. Let's just order lunch." Mabel interrupted.

"Alright," Krystal said, skimming the menu. "I'll have a cheeseburger and a side of fries."

"I'll have the same." Mabel told Susan.

"Ok, and what to drink?" the older woman asked.

"Coke." both girls answered at the same time.

"Ok, I'll have your orders right out in a minute." The waitress then went back into the kitchen.

Krystal elbowed her cousin. "Hey Mabel, I'm gonna go to the bathroom. I can't stand wearing this sweater any longer. It's way too hot."

"Ok," Mabel replied.

Krystal jumped off her stool and headed to the bathroom. But she unaware of a raven-haired man walking up to her cousin, who was only looking to start trouble.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't that little twerp's sister." a man with black hair said.

Mabel groaned unhappily. "What do you want, Robbie?" she asked the man.

"Oh, so you wanna act like that, huh? Ya know, you're suppose to respect adults. Now get out of that seat, my band is sitting here." Robbie told her, pulling back on her sweater.

"Hey! Stop it!" Mabel cried.

She clawed at the counter top, trying to hold on as Robbie pulled her off. A couple of his friends joined in, trying to pry the brunette from the stool.

Suddenly, Robbie was hit in back of the head with what felt like a spoon. Turning around, he saw a young teenage girl with dark orange hair and a pale complexion.

"Y'all better leave my cousin alone!" she told Robbie.

"And just who are you?" he asked. As he studied her further, he noticed something. "You're the little wimp that stood up to Miss Popular, aren't ya?"

"Yeah, I am. And I got no problem standin' up to y'all either. Now leave my cousin alone, and I won't be sayin' it again." Krystal demanded.

"Or what, shrimp? What'cha gonna do?" Robbie scoffed. "You couldn't beat up a ventriliquist dummy." he snickered.

"And you could?" Krystal challenged, her grey eyes boring into Robbie's brown ones.

"So you wanna get into it, huh? Well then, let's get into it." Robbie said, letting go of Mabel and marching up to Krystal, leaning closely to her face. "I challenge you to a competition. You, me, this Saturday night at seven at the karaoke bar. My band against you and who ever you can get to work with you. And just to raise the stakes; you're group picks out the song my group sings and vice versa. We only get one hour to practice. And the loser has to pay the winner fifty bucks!" Robbie told her.

Krystal smirked. "You're on!"

Robbie smirked back and leaned away. "Good." He turned around. "Let's go guys. This place has too many wimps." he said to his band.

"Oh, and Robbie? Y'all might wanna eat a whole pack of mints before the competition or the audience will be passing out. I can smell your skunk-breath from here!" she called to the guitar player as he walked out the door. She heard him mutter a string of curses as he exited the diner.

"Krissy, do you know what you just did?!" Mabel exclaimed, a hint of worry evident in her voice.

"Yeah, I stood up for ya! I ain't gonna let no one push me or my family around like that!" Krystal said, still fuming.

Lazy Susan came back with their food.

"Food!" she announced.

"Thank-you, ma'am." Krystal said to her.

"You're welcome," the woman replied before disappearing back into the kitchen.

Mabel continued to voice her worries to Krystal about what had just happened.

"You just accepted a challenge from _Robbie V._ who, if you don't happen to know, has been in that rock band for over five years! He's gonna crush you!" the brunette whisper-shouted.

Krystal smiled. "Mabel, for someone who's so optimistic, you're being such a pessimist. I have a chance. I won the talent show at my school a few months ago by singing. I'm pretty sure I can beat that guy. Especially if I play my cards right." the red-head replied in a slightly devious tone.

"What do you mean _play your cards right?_ Are you going to cheat?!" Mabel asked.

"Heck, nah! I'm just gonna do a bit of mental manipulation, as grandpa calls it. He taught me some basic tricks to manipulation and the art of conning people last summer when I visited him." the southern girl explained.

"I don't think that was such a good idea."

"Ya think? His _lessons_ earned me an overnight stay at the state prison!" Krystal muttered, remembering last summer. "I spent my 12th birthday in there."

"Say what now?" Mabel asked, interested in what had happened.

"Well, I'll tell ya what happened. It all started on a nice summer day, when I had to spend a week down here because my aunt Charlene had to take care of some important business here in Oregon, and needed someone to babysit me. Grandpa Stan found out about my amazing skills in painting and drawing. He asked me to help him with a little art project for the Mystery Shack. Before I knew it, the only thing I was painting was green rectangles."

"He made you paint dollars? Why?" inquired Mabel.

"You know him. counterfeiting purposes. I didn't know, though. And then, a couple days after the so-called _project_ , he was taking me out to town so we could have some fun on the day of my birthday. Then the cops caught up to us and arrested him and I." Krystal explained.

"How'd you survive in there with all those prisoners? And why did you guys end up in the _state prison?_ Shouldn't they have taken you to the county jail?" Mabel asked.

"Well, we were sent to the state prison because the county jail had some sort of problem. Something about a prison break or something. It had damaged a lot of the jail. Anyways, as to how I survived; Grandpa and I were separated, and put into opposite ends of the prison. But no one seemed to bother me. I don't think they really cared." Krystal answered. But the last part had been a lie. She'd never tell anyone what really happened.

"Did you meet anyone?" Mabel asked.

"Just some southern boy with white hair and few of his friends. No one else really talked to me." Krystal half-lied.

But Mabel didn't seem to hear that last sentence as she stared out into space.


	5. Chapter Four

"Uh, Mabel? Y'all ok?" Krystal asked.

The brunette in question was anything but ok. She stared forward as if she were traumatized as she relived the many memories involving the obsessive southerner she had encountered here five years ago.

Krystal held out her hand and snapped her fingers in front of Mabel's face a few times before she finally acknowledged her.

"Gosh, Mabel, are ya alright? You don't look so well." Krystal said with concern.

"I just...No, no I'm fine." Mabel replied, forcing a smile. She was desperate to change the subject. "Uh, so how are you feeling about going on a date with Jackson?" the brunette asked.

Krystal blushed. "Kinda nervous, but excited. And a little itchy." she answered, scratching her arm. "How the heck did I get misquito bites? I've been wearing this sweater all day outside!"

Mabel giggled. "This is Gravity Falls, Krystal. Everything that happens is mysterious and questionable. And I do mean everything!"

Mabel continued to laugh, but Krystal only raised an eyebrow. She had the feeling what Mabel had said was some kind of inside joke.

"Uh huh, well, what about you and your brother? Y'all got anything planned for this summer?"

Well, my brother is probably gonna spend the entire summer mon- reading! I meant reading! Anyways, I plan to just relax, do some art and crafts, maybe some other stuff."

"Sleepovers?"

"Totally!"

Both girls high-fived, then went back to eating. They didn't speak again until they were done.

"Ok, your bill is $12.36. I'll be back in a minute." Lazy Susan told the girls.

"I'll pay for lunch." Krystal said.

"No. Today is your brithday and the entire day is my treat, Krissy." Mabel stated firmly.

"Mabel, my birthday was a week ago. But if y'all insist...alright." Krystal replied, with a slight reluctance.

Mabel beamed. "Good, now let's go!" The brunette put the money on the bill along with a tip and dashed out the door, dragging her cousin behind her.

* * *

"I've been waiting for so long to see this movie!" Mabel whispered to Krystal as they sat in the theater with their 3-D glasses on. "My parents wouldn't let me go see it cause they thought it was too scary."

"The previews did seem a little creepy. And that movie that came out before this one, The Séance, where it showed part of this movie at the beginning; it was awesome, too." Krystal whispered back.

"I saw that, too. It was great!" Mabel whisper-shouted, giggling a bit.

" _Please silence your cell phones, pagers, and other communication devices and put on your 3-D glasses. The movie will be starting momentarily._ " a voice said.

Mabel turned off her phone, then tucked it back into her skirt pocket. The two girls, as well as everyone else, turned their attention to the large screen as the movie started.

* * *

Krystal noticed that throughout the movie, Mabel had hardly even flinched. Krystal, however, had nearly jumped out of her seat a couple of times. Jump-scares and 3-D glasses wasn't a good mix. But the red-head still didn't understand why Mabel had hardly showed even a hint of fear.

The credits appeared on the screen and everyone began to get up and leave.

"That was awesome!" Mabel cried.

"That was amazing and all, but how did y'all not jump up even once? That movie had more jump-scares than a rattlesnake has scales." Krystal commented.

"It's just not all that scary now that I'm older." Mabel replied. " _That, and the fact that I've seen scarier things here in Gravity Falls_." she thought.

"So, what's next?" Krystal asked, bringing Mabel back to reality for the second time that day.

Mabel cleared her voice and, in the most dramatic voice she could muster, announced, "A tour of the beautiful small town of Gravity Falls!"

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road."

Mabel led Krystal through the town, pointing out every store and every house and every other building, occasionally throwing out a comment like,

"That's the store Grunkle Stan took Dipper, Soos, and I to during Summerween. We got kicked out about five minutes later!"

or,

"There's the dump; home of Old Man McGucket!"

and then a total TMI like,

"There's the press office. At night, Toby Determined, the town's reporter and editor of the Gravity Falls Gossiper, makes out with a cardboard cut-out of Shandra Jimenez."

and, of course,

"There's a random old building for sale."

Krystal's eye caught something lingering above the trees. Pulling her cousin through the small thicket, they came upon a large blue tent with a star atop it. The tent was old, worn, torn, and weathered. There were several tears and rips, and more stains than one could count. The sun had nearly bleached the fabric, as well as the peeling paint on the star.

"What the heck is this?" Krystal asked her cousin. When Mabel didn't reply, the red-head turned to look at the brunette.

Mabel's face was blank as she stared at the tent. Memories came flooding back. Memories about the tent, the shack, the warehouse on 412 Gopher Road, her nightmares about the deranged southerner getting what he really wanted...

Mabel shivered, and tears welled in her eyes. She blinked them away. He was out of her life forever and he was _never_ coming back. Everything was going to be ok.

"That tent is where this little psycho- I mean, psychic, Gideon Gleeful, performed. But it hasn't been used in five years. And it's never gonna be used again, so I don't see why it's still up. I wish someone would just burn it to the ground!" The brunette said bitterly. "If they did, I wouldn't even think about putting it out. And after it was done burning, I'd stomp on the ashes!" Mabel said, anger welling up.

"Mabel, why do y'all hate this tent so much?" Krystal asked, full of concern and confusion.

"That's a story for another time." she said. She then slapped on a smile and said, "Now, back to our tour!" The brunette drug her cousin out of the woods, not even thinking about looking back.

Krystal, however, looked back. Something about that tent was off. She could feel it. But what was it...

* * *

Mabel finished off their tour and, the two girls headed back to the shack, down the dirt path.

"So, now that you've had the tour, what do you think about our fair city?" Mabel asked.

"Well, first off, you need to stop being dramatic. Second, it's great!" Krystal answered.

"Well, I haven't showed you the pool or the lake yet, but I will soon. Other than that, you've seen pretty much all of Gravity Falls, minus the woods. But you wouldn't wanna go exploring in the woods. There are dangerous animals in them. Like lions, and tigers, and bears!" Mabel warned, trying to hold back giggles.

"Oh my!" Krystal exclaimed, finishing off the famous quote.

"Yeah, the animals in the forest are dangerous. But not as dangerous as the creatures." said a male voice.

"W-who's there?" Mabel asked, suddenly scared. She was pretty sure she knew who that voice belonged to.

Her suspicions were confirmed when a short man with a pointy red hat and a brown beard stepped out of the bushes a few yards in front of them.

"Mabel, why am I lookin' at a munchkin? Did we somehow wind up in some twisted Wizard-of-Oz-ified version of Gravity Falls?" Krystal asked.

"I'm not a munchkin! I'm king of the gnomes!" the gnome protested.

"Hello Jeff," Mabel said bitterly, her fear disapating and giving way to loathing.

"Why hello, honey. How's my fiancé?" Jeff asked.

"I am _not_ your fiancé!" Mabel yelled at him. "I am not _your_ anything!"

"Uh..." Krystal managed to utter in the midst of her shock. The frightened girl sat at the base of a nearby tree with the neck of the sweater pulled up to her eyes.

"I'm sorry, I never properly introduced myself to you." Jeff apologized, walking forward.

"Stay away from her, Jeff!" Mabel warned.

"I mean her no harm. Anyhow, I am Jeff, leader and king of the gnomes!" he proclaimed. He then lightly took Krystal's hand and gently pressed a kiss to the back of it. The red-head was too shocked to think about snatching her hand away. "And you are?" he asked.

"I am Krystal Pines. I'm Mabel's cousin." Krystal answered, her voice muffled by the sweater.

"Well, it was good to meet you, but now it's time for me to take Mabel. You may be on your way." Jeff said.

"No way! You're not taking Mabel! She doesn't want to go with you!" Krystal denied.

Jeff glared at her. "Fine. Gnomes of the forest, ATTACK!"

* * *

Dipper and Stan sat at a table, playing Go Fish.

"Got any 3's?" Dipper asked.

"Go Fish. Got any 7's?" Stan replied.

Dipper handed over the card to Stan.

"Ya know, I have a feeling you're cheating." Dipper accused.

"Now why would I-"

Slam!

The front door slammed, interrupting the old man.

"Dipper! Grunkle Stan! You guys gotta hurry!" Mabel cried, running into the living room. Her hair was in disarray, her makeup was smeared a little, and her clothes were a mess. She also had little cuts and bruises scattered around on her legs.

"Whoa, Mabes! What happened? And where's Krystal?" Dipper asked, trying to calm down the frantic girl.

"She was kidnapped by the gnomes!"


	6. Chapter Five

"So, tell me again how this all went down." Dipper said to Mabel as they sped through the forest in the golf cart.

Stan had insisted on going, but the twins protested due to his age. Whether he knew about the strange things of Gravity Falls or not, Dipper and Mabel wouldn't risk the old man getting injured, or worse. There were no if's, and's, or but's about it.

"Ok, so we were walking back down the trail," Mabel said through tears. "And Jeff jumped out. Krystal kinda hid in Sweater Town, but I don't blame her. Anyways, he told her he was taking me with him and that she could go. She refused, and he told the gnomes to attack!" she cried.

"And then what?" Dipper asked, trying to wring the details out of her.

"Well, they started attacking..."

* * *

_Gnomes jumped out from all directions. They ran towards Mabel and grabbed at her hair and clothes._

_"Hair! Hair!" she cried as they yanked her to the ground. "Ouch!"_

_Fueled by anger, Krystal shot up. Throwing off the bulky sweater, (which was doing nothing but making her sweat more and make it harder for her to move freely) Krystal ran up to the army of little men and started pulling them off of Mabel._

_"Y'all better get off my cousin!" she shouted as she continued to plow through them._

_Several gnomes jumped up and started to pin her to the ground as well._

_"Ouch! Stop it!" she cried as she flailed wildly._

_The gnomes finally pinned Mabel to the ground on her back. Krystal, however, was facedown in the dirt, trying not to suffocate in the dust as the creatures held her down._

_"Carson, hold her head up!" Jeff called over to the gnomes who held Krystal._

_Carson obeyed and lifted up her head from the ground. Another gnome stood on the opposite side of her head, helping him hold it up._

_Jeff walked up to restrained, red-haired southern girl, wearing a triumphant smirk. Krystal, though, couldn't be more upset. The mix of hate, fear, sadness, confusion, and a few other emotions, made her feel like she was going to lose her lunch._

_"Well, well, look what we have here. Maybe this will teach you not mess with-" Jeff stopped. He hadn't been paying any attention to Krystal's appearance whatsoever. In fact, the most her face he had seen was her eyes while she had been hiding in that sweater. And he had to admit, she was very pretty. Perhaps as pretty as his soon-to-be-queen, Mabel. And she sort of reminded him of someone he missed dearly. "_ No. She's not Miranda. Miranda is gone _." the gnome king thought._

_"J-jeff. That's y-your name, r-right?" the girl stuttered._

_The gnome nodded._

_"Please, Jeff, don't take Mabel. Y-you..." Krystal closed her eyes, a few tears leaking out and making trails through the dust on her face. "You can kidnap me instead. I-I won't even fight you. Just let Mabel go." she whispered._

_"Krissy, no! Don't do it!" Mabel yelled._

_The gnome was clearly taken aback. This girl had just offered herself to be his kidnapping victim._

_"_ And, inadverdantly, my queen _." Jeff thought. He stopped, pensively considering the girl's offer. "_ And she did say she wouldn't fight _..." he thought, the girl's pleas running through his mind._

_All the gnomes, as well as Mabel, watched Jeff. Murmurs could be heard moving throughout the creatures' ranks._

_"Alright, ya know what?" Jeff said, getting Krystal's attention. "I'll take you up on your offer on one condition. If I let Mabel go, not only do you come with us as our kidnap victim, but you shall be my queen, and we shall be wed at dawn. No later. So, what do you say?" Jeff asked._

_Krystal casted a quick glance at Mabel, who shook her head frantically._

_"Don't Krystal! Don't- mmph!" Mabel yelled, but a gnome covered her mouth._

_Turning her attention back to Jeff, she thought a moment. Taking a deep breath, Krystal nodded her head and stuttered out a quiet, "Y-y-yes."_

_"Great! Now let's get you into the forest!" Jeff cried._

_"C-can I say bye to Mabel first? Please?" Krystal pleaded._

_Jeff groaned impatiently. "I suppose so," he mutered. "But be quick about it."_

_The gnomes got off of Krystal and allowed her to stand. SHe walked over to Mabel, with the gnome close at her heels._

_"Mabel, I-" but she was cut off by the brunette giving her a near bone-crushing hug._

_"Dip and I will come save you. Just hold up til' we get there." Mabel whispered quietly._

_"I'll try," Krystal replied. "Bye, Mabel. Tell Dipper I'm sorry." she said aloud, trying to make the good-bye as real as possible._

_"I will. Good-bye Krystal." Mabel called out behind her as she walked away._

_Once she was a few yards away, the brunette broke into a run and hurried out of the forest._

* * *

"And then I came running in the shack to get you guys to help." Mabel said, finishing her story.

Dipper stared ahead at the trees, processing what Mabel said.

He slammed his fist on the sterring wheel and cursed, "Damn it! Why did she have to do something so stupid!"

Mabel gasped. She had hardly ever heard her brother curse. "Dipper, watch your language!" she scolded.

"Well, I'm sorry if my way of venting my anger is not sutible by your means!" he retorted sarcastically. Seeing his sister shrink back a little, he sighed. "Sorry, Mabes. I'm just worried about Krystal. She's in danger that could've been avoided if-"

"Dipper, nothing could've changed what happened. Let's just find Krystal, save her, and make some gnomes lose their lunch before we go." Mabel interjected.

Dipper turned his full attention back to the trees.

"You're right, Mabel." he said, pulling his signiture pine tree hat down over his eyes a little. "Let's kick some ass."

"Dipper!" Mabel scolded again, punching her brother in the shoulder.

* * *

Krystal watched as her cousin ran off to shack to get help.

"Come on, Krystal, let's get you into the forest so that you can be queen of the gnomes for all of eternity!" Jeff said happily, leading her throught the trees.

Krystal knew that until Mabel and Dipper came to save her, she was at the mercy of the gnomes. The thought made her shiver.

"Are you cold, Krystal?" Jeff asked.

Now that Jeff brought it up, Krystal realized she did feel cold. She had left the sweater behind on the trail, so she couldn't use that to keep warm.

"A little," Krystal replied, nodding.

Jeff clapped his hands and two rows of gnomes walked side by side, carry what looked like a cape made of leaves. More gnomes came and stood on top of eachother, and they placed the cape around Krystal's shoulders.

"Thank you," Krystal said to the gnomes. For the first time since she had been in the gnomes' presence, she smiled warmly.

"I see you're happy. Life in the forest isn't all that bad when you live with creatures like us." Jeff commented.

Krystal knew she needed to act like she thought she would be with the gnomes for the rest of her life, not for the rest of the day. So she replied, "I suppose so. It seems like y'all are pretty resourceful."

Jeff chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Krystal asked.

"Well, with that cute little southern accent, you sound like that white-haired guy the gnomes and I ran into a few years back. Mabel and Dipper tried to get us to help them kick his butt. But when we got there, he used a dog whistle on us. Gnomes don't like dog whistles. It's kind of like a weakness. Anyways, he used that to make us turn on Dipper and Mabel and escort them off the premises." Jeff explained. "Now what was his name?" the gnome pondered.

Just as he was about to give a reply, another gnome came running up to him from deep within the forest.

"King Jeff, the flower! It's blooming right now!" the gnome shouted frantically.

Jeff's expression went slack for a moment, then he grabbed Krystal's hand and pulled her through the forest.

"Hurry, follow me! And don't ask questions!" he ordered.

Krystal hunched over when he grabbed her hand, and she found it uncomfortable. But nevertheless, she complied.

" _What's going on?_ " she thought.

When Jeff finally let go of her hand, they stood at the head of trail, lined on either lside by trees that arched together and long vines that hung from them.

Jeff took Krystal's hand and said, "I grant thee access to the enchanted glade." he said. He then pulled her down the trial.

When they stopped, Krystal looked around to see a clearing. In the clearing was a meadow full of beautiful flowers and trees. Off to the left of the scenery was a beautiful waterfall that fed into a stream, which ran through the meadow.

"This is...beautiful." Krystal said in amazement.

"You can marvel in the beauty later. We have an urgent situation to attend to." Jeff insisted.

"Ok, but stop pulling me. I can run faster without you dragging me along." Krystal told him.

"Alright, let's hurry, though." he said.

Jeff began running through the clearing towards the waterfall, Krystal on his heels, and the other gnomes at her heels. They ran up stairs that had been expertly carved into the side of the cliff. Once they reached the top, Jeff pointed something near the ledge where the waterfall flowed down into the stream below. He finally got to the shape and knelt next to it.

Krystal looked it over. It was a large flower about the size of a basketball hoop. It looked like a rose, which started out a light pink and faded to purple towards the middle, which faded to a sky blue towards the top. And it was blooming!

"Krystal, you have to sing." Jeff told her.

"To the flower?" she asked skeptically.

"Yes, to the flower. Now hurry." he answered.

"Uh, what should I sing?" Krystal asked.

"Anything!" he said. "Just sing!"

All the gnomes seemed frantic and anxious, as if this was a matter of life and death.

"Alright," the young teen said. She turned to the flower, and knelt before it. Several songs ran through her mind before she found one she knew completely by heart. She had first heard it on a movie that came out a few months ago, about two sisters. The elder sister had ice powers, and had fled the kingdom on her coronation day. It had been an amazing movie. Taking a deep breath, she sang,

_The snow glows bright on the mountain tonight;_

_not a footprint to be seen._

_A kingdom of isolation,_

_and it looks like I'm the queen._

_The wind is howling,_

_like this swirling storm inside._

_Couldn't keep it in._

_Heaven knows I tried._

_Don't let them in,_

_don't let them see,_

_be the good girl you always have to be._

_Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._

_Well now they know!_

_Let it go._

_Let it go._

_Can't hold it back anymore._

_Let it go._

_Let it go._

_Trun away and slam the door!_

_I don't care what they're going to say!_

_Let the storm rage on._

_The cold never bothered me anyway._

Jeff held his hand out, signaling for her to stop.

"That was amazing, Krystal. And it should be enough." he said. The gnome king then turned his attention back to the flower, which was puffed out.

Slowly, the petals began to fall back as the flower fully bloomed. Krystal could tell that something was inside the flower. The gnomes surged forward before Krystal could see what it was. After a minute, Jeff turned and looked at Krystal. He beckoned for her to come forward.

Krystal walked foreward and caught sight of what was in the flower and her breath caught in her throat.

"Oh...my...god..."


	7. Chapter Six

Krystal smiled widely at the sight before her. Laying on the flower was a small gnome. A _baby_ gnome! It lay there, sleeping and sucking its thumb, and wearing a diaper and a small red hat. It was quite small, being only about a foot long. Krystal knelt down and reached out, gently brushing the baby's light brown bangs out of its eyes.

"Beautiful." she whispered.

"He is," Jeff chimed in. "And as the queen of the gnomes, he is yours."

Krystal reached out again to pick him up, then hesitated. She turned to Jeff and asked, "May I?"

Jeff only nodded in reply.

Krystal reached out and picked up the baby. She cradled it in her arms and asked, "Is this how all gnomes are born?"

"It is. They are born heathiest when the flower is in good growing conditions and a woman sings to it as it blooms." Jeff informs her. "And now that you are to be our queen, the gnomes will strive once again. The queen gnome is by far the most important. She's like our mother." Jeff sighed, his expression becoming a bit forlorn. "And without her, it's hard for the enchanted flower to _birth_ a gnome. And then it'd only be a matter of time before our race went extinct." His face then brightened as he proclaimed, "But now you're here, and we shall grow into the powerful race we once were!"

Krystal sighed. She couldn't do this; she couldn't keep acting like she was going to be their queen when she knew her cousins were coming to get her, and would most likely find her before the day was over.

"You seem upset, Krystal. Is something wrong with my fiancé?" the gnome king asked.

"Jeff, I can't be your fiancé." Krystal said, casting her glance to the ground.

"So you're ready to be married to me now? Well, the sooner the better!" he exclaimed.

"No Jeff- I can't be your wife and I can't be your queen. I have a family I have to get back to." Krystal explained.

"Krystal, you can't back out of this. You will be my queen. Don't forget that you agreed not to fight." Jeff said, an edge creeping into his voice.

Krystal sighed. "I know, but-"

"No but's! We will be wed at dawn, the gnomes will have a queen, and the babies shall have a motherly figure once again." Jeff told her sternly.

Krystal sighed, but then a thought came to mind. Something about what he said stuck out, and gave her an idea. She turned her full attention to Jeff and asked one simple question:

"How about a deal?"

* * *

"How the heck are we gonna find her?" Mabel asked Dipper.

The male Pines twin shook his head. "I dunno Mabel. Just stay vigilent and keep your ears open." he replied.

"Why couldn't we have come on the cart? This leaf blower is heavy." the female twin complained.

"Because it would've gotten stuck if we had tried to cross the river on it back there." he explained. "Just stop complaining. We're doing this for Krystal, so-

Suddenly, in the distance they heard what sounded like shouting.

"Leave me alone! Get back! Get your tiny hands off of me!" the voice screamed.

"Krystal!" Mabel and Dipper exclaimed in unison.

The twins broke out into a run, shouting Krystal's name. Finally, they got a reply;

"Mabel! Dipper! Help me!" Krystal shouted back to them.

"We're coming!" the twins called back.

When Mabel and Dipper finally made it to where Krystal was, they were surprised to see that she wasn't restrained, but fighting back pretty well.

"Krissy, back down! Get behind us and we'll handle this!" Mabel shouted to Krystal.

The red-haired southerner began to back away from the gnomes, throwing kicks and punches at any of them that dared come close enough. But they all seemed to dodge the kicks and punches, and hissed in reply before retreating. Once Krystal had finally backed up to Dipper and Mabel, the female twin mustered up as much courage and intimidation as possible. She brandished the leaf blower like it was a very dangerous weapon, and shouted:

"Who wants some?!"

The gnomes began to back away at the sight of leaf blower and its deranged weilder.

"You'll rue this day, Pines twins! You too, Krystal! You especially! You will all rue this day!" Jeff shouted at them before he and his gnomes completely disappeared in the forest.

"Well, that's finally over." Krystal commented, relieved.

Dipper turned around and glared at Krystal.

"What?"

" _What?!_ Here's what! How could you have been so damn stupid! If Mabel and I wouldn't have been able to get you back, you could've ended up as their queen forever!" Dipper screamed at her. Tears began to form in his eyes. "We could've lost you." he whispered.

"But y'all did save me. Because y'all worked together like family should. When we stand together, we're unstoppable. Even chainsaws can't cut us down." Krystal told Dipper. "Get it? Cause we're the _Pines_ family. Pines, chainsaws,"

Dipper snorted and wiped away his tears. "That pun sucked." he said, trying to suppress a laugh, but to no avail.

"I know! I'm just awesome like that!" Krystal proclaimed proudly.

"Ok, dorks, let's get home!" Mabel said happily as she draped one arm around her brother's shoulders and the other around the shoulders of her cousin.

The trio laughed as they made their way back to the cart, which was still parked at the river.

"Ya know, that's the first time they retreated from us when we stood against them." Mabel said, refering to the gnomes.

"Well, that's the first time you stood against them while brandishing a leaf blower like it was a chainsaw and looking like some deranged, psychopathic maniac." Dipper told her.

Mabel thought for a moment and tried to put on a serious face. "True... Or maybe they were just frightened by the might of the alpha twin!" the brunette proclaimed.

Again, they broke down into laughter.

Dipper climbed into the cart and tried to start it. "Oh no..." he muttered.

"What's wrong?" Mabel and Krystal both asked.

"The cart is out of gas!" Dipper exclaimed. "And I'm much too tired to walk." he said dramaticly as he pretended to faint. "I'm not gonna make it- you'll have to carry me."

"Oh shut up ya doofus and start the cart!" Mabel said through giggles.

Krystal and Dipper laughed as well, and Dipper started the cart. They drove back to the Mystery Shack, where they were met by a very nervous and anxious Stan. But when he saw Krystal, he smiled.

"Grandpa!" she shouted as she ran up to him.

"Krystal!" he exclaimed happily as he hugged her. "Oh my god! When Mabel told me what happened I thought that-" but Krystal stopped him as she pulled away from the hug.

"It's alright. I'm back, I'm alive, and I'm well. And that's all that matters." the southerner told her grandfather.

"Yeah." he said. Then Stan's expression hardened. "You better not do anything that stupid again, Krystal. Around here, there are other creatures much more dangerous than the gnomes. You could get killed. And that's something I want to avoid. Well, one of the things I wanna avoid." the conman said, murmuring that last part.

"Well, I'll try my best not to get hurt. But I do believe I deserve an explanation as to why there are gnomes in the forest, and what _other creatures_ there are." Krystal said, looking at all three of them with an arched eyebrow.

"Well, the best place to start would be the journal." Dipper said, pulling an old worn out maroon book from inside his jacket.

"What is that?" Krystal asked him.

"This is Journal 3. I'm not sure where 1 and 2 are, but I'm pretty sure they're in Gravity Falls, too." Dipper explained. "Anyways, this journal belonged to someone, but no one knows who. It's all about the creatures and supernatural stuff that's in Gravity Falls. It's kinda like a feild guide to the unexplained."

Krystal reached out and grabbed the book. She leafed through it, skimming the pages and looking at the pictures.

"Wow..." she managed to say as she marveled at the book she held in her hands. "This...this is so cool!"

"Well, you better get to reading. There's a lot to know about this place. Even I haven't figured it all out." Dipper told her.

Krystal continued to turn the pages until she reached one in particular near the back of the book. The style of the writing and the drawing showed that the page was obviously authored by someone else. It showed a cirlce with several symbols around it.

"A pine tree, a bag of ice, a heart with stitches, a pentagram with an eye, a six-fingered hand," she said as she looked at the symbols. She read off the other symbols as well.

"Yeah, that's the Bill Cipher Wheel. I drew it in there myself since it seemed pretty significant. Those symbols represent people. And that retarded looking triangle in the middle is Bill Cipher. This wheel appeared around him as he left Grunkle Stan's mind -that being another story for another time- so I decided to draw it in here and try to figure it out." Dipper informed his cousin, trying to hold back a laugh at calling Bill Cipher retarded, regardless of how dangerous it could be in case he was watching.

"Now, Dipper," Stan scolded. "Bill Cipher is not retarded. He is just very, very, _very_ stupid." the old man corrected.

Once again, everyone broke out into laughter.

"Well, I think it's time we go inside and relax. I don't know about you kids, but I'm beat." Stan said.

"But Grandpa, y'all didn't do anything." Krystal protested.

"Hey- I had to sit around for an hour, worried that my only grandchild was going to get seriously injured! It took a lot outta me." the conman argued back.

"I suppose," Krystal said.

The four headed inside to relax. The memory of what had happened before Mabel and Dipper had come to save Krystal still reeled through the red-head's mind. A secret that would probably die with her.

* * *

**The Enchanted Glade- Several Minutes Before Krystal's Rescue**

"A deal, huh?" Jeff asked skeptically.

"Yes, a deal." Krystal answered, still cradling the baby gnome in her arms.

"And what are the terms of this deal?" the gnome king asked, still full of skepticism.

"Look, I don't want to marry you and be the queen of the gnomes. But, you guys do need a mother." she explained, casting a glance at the baby when she said 'mother'.

"So, here are the terms of the deal: You allow me to go free and you don't hurt my family or anyone else. In return, I will come into the forest as often as I can and help raise the young gnomes. I will also sing to the flower while it blooms so that it will produce a healthy baby gnome. To sum up, I will be the mother that I can clearly see y'all desperately need."

Jeff's eyes widened, as well as the eyes of all the other gnomes.

"So, if we let you go and promise not to harm you, your family, or anyone for that matter, you'll be our mother?" Jeff asked.

"Yes," Krystal confirmed. "I know what it's like to not have a mother, but want one and need one. My mother died recently. And I miss her dearly. But I can be the mother y'all need so that y'all don't have to keep goin' through the pain of not havin' one." the red-head told him.

"Deal." Jeff said.

"W-what?" Krystal asked, a bit shocked by his sudden response.

"I said it's a deal!" Jeff answered happily. "All we really want is a mom, and now we have one again!" the gnome king cried. He ran forward and hugged Krystal's leg. He looked up at her and whispered, "Thank you, Krystal Pines."

Krystal smiled warmly and laid the baby back on the rose before getting down on her knees and sitting back on her legs. "You can call me mom." she said, pulling Jeff in for a hug. "You all can call me mom!" she announced to all the gnomes.

All the gnomes ran forward and took turns hugging her.

"But there's one problem, guys. Dipper, Mabel, and Stan can't know about this. They wouldn't stand for it. So, we need to do something so that they won't be suspicious when they find me." Krystal told them.

"What are we gonna do?" several gnomes asked.

Krystal thought for a moment before she lit up. "I have an idea! We fake a fight!" she annonced proudly.

"Perfect!" the gnomes cried out.

* * *

Mother of the Gnomes.

Yes, Krystal was sure she'd take the secret of her important title to her grave. She knew that if Dipper, Mabel, or Stan ever found out, she'd be in big trouble. And so would the gnomes. And the red-haired southerner was determined to protect her new family.

"Hey Krystal! Come in here and tell Grunkle Stan about your date for this Friday!" Mabel shouted from the kitchen.

"Date?!" Stanford exclaimed angrily, going into 'protective grandpa mode'.

"Coming!" Krystal shouted back. She walked back inside, ready to deal with an overprotective grandfather and a hyperactive cousin. She was already preparing an explanation on what happened between her and the gnomes, because she knew she couldn't tell the truth if she was going to keep them safe.

Yes, she would protect her new family.

...Even if it meant keeping her new family a secret from her family by blood


	8. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some alcohol use in this chapter.

Krystal laid in her bed, wide awake, staring at the ceiling in the darkness. In was well past midnight, but she couldn't sleep. Too many thoughts were running through her head about the events that had transpired earlier that day. The mall, the date, the bet, the gnomes...

It wasn't that Krystal didn't appreciate what Mabel had tried to do for her. She loved the fact that her cousin had put such an effort into making it a great day, even if it was _a week after_ her birthday, and not the exact day. Which brings the redhead to the reason she's so upset: her birthday. Not only is that day forever known by her as her day of birth, but also the day that she got the most devistating news of her life thus far.

It was a beautiful balmy, sunny afternoon. Birds were chirping, horses were nieghing, children were laughing; everything seemed perfect in the world. It _seemed_ perfect, but it couldn't have been any farther from it.

* * *

**Dallas, Texas- One Week Prior**

A rooster crowed as the bright, early-morning sunlight peeked over the horizon, both the light and the bird acting as an alarm for the people living on a small farm right near the outskirts of Dallas. Next to the small farm was a horse corral, a pasture shared by the cows and horses alike, and a two-story house in which two people lived.

One of those people was a young girl with dark orange hair, which glowed like fire in the sun's rays as they flooded through the window and warmed her pale, freckled face. The tired girl groaned as the light interrupted her peaceful sleep, and she pulled the red comforter over her face. But the bright sun shown through that too. Giving up, the girl threw off her covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open and looked at the calender she had next to her bed. What she saw nearly made her sream with happiness. Her 13th birthday was today!

Forgetting her sleepiness, the girl jumped up, slipped out of her pajamas, took a shower, and slipped on the clothes she had set out the night before in record time. Afterwards, she dashed downstairs where she found an older woman with curly, light brown hair, who was busy making breakfast. She wore a white-and-blue apron which covered the front of her plaid shirt, and her faded blue jeans which were tucked into her dark brown cowboy boots.

"Mornin' auntie Lina! Do y'all happen to know what today is?" the girl asked, trying but failing to seem nonchalant.

"Hmm," the woman murmured, a hint of a smile crossing her face. "It's there a festival today?" she asked.

"No." the younger replied.

"A race, perhaps?"

"Nope!"

"You're having some friends over for an important gathering?"

"Nada, mi amigo!" the girl said, switching languages.

"Hmm, I'm not sure."

"Oh," the girl uttered, disappointment apparent in her tone.

Her aunt chuckled and turned around, hold cupcake with a single candle in it. "Happy birthday, Krystal!" she exclaimed.

"I knew you didn't forget!" Krystal said, taking the cupcake and peeling off the wrapper.

"Well, as soon as you finish that I need you to go out to the chicken coop and get some eggs for breakfast, alright?"

"Sure thing, auntie Lina." the red-head replied, taking another bite out of her cupcake, some sprinkles and frosting stuck to her lips.

"Why do call me Lina?" her aunt asked.

"Because it's quicker than saying 'Charlene'." Krystal answered, now headed for the door. She walked outside and was instantly met with several sounds and smells of which she had grown accustomed to over the manys years she had lived on the farm.

The young, now teenaged, girl walked to the chicken coop. She grabbed a bag of corn and threw some on the ground for the chickens, which would hopefully keep their attention long enough so that she could get the eggs. Grabbing a basket that was hung on the wall, Krystal began collecting eggs, not stopping until she had gotten two dozen. She then threw out some more corn for the hens before walking back inside the house.

"Got the eggs!" she proclaimed as she handed the basket to Charlene.

"Perfect. After breakfast, we'll take care of chores for the day. If we're quick -which knowing us we will be- we can sit around until lunch. Afterwards, you can go and do whatever you want." Charlene told Krystal.

"Sounds great!" Krystal replied. Usually, she and her aunt would spend most of the day together doing chores, going to town, speaking with friends, competeing in rodeos. The list went on and on. Not that it wasn't fun to Krystal, it was actually. It was just that she never really got a lot of ree time to just do whatever she wanted to do. So she took ever chance she got and didn't waste a moment.

Soon, Charlene had finished breaksfast and they both ate. But the table was never silent, as they would always be having a conversation about something. And it didn't stop after breakfast. Once they had finished eating, both of them cleaned their dishes and began on their daily chores, not a moment silent until about ten in the morning.

"So what should we do, Birthday Girl?" Charlene asked, having tiredly collapsed in the recliner after a hard, long morning of work.

"I dunno," Krystal replied, flopping onto the couch. "Watch tv?"

"That's never a bad answer!"

Both girls chuckled as the older grabbed the remote and started flipping through the channels.

"So, what do you want to watch?" Charlene asked.

"Anything but _The Dutchess Approves_." her niece replied, rolling her eyes. "That stuff is so-"

"Daddy watches it." the woman said, tring to supress her laughter.

"Grandpa Stan watches that malarke?!" Krystal asked, both surprised and extremely amused. Niether of them could hold back their laughter for long, and Krystal ended up falling off the couch and rolling around on the floor, tears running down her face.

" _That_ is the funniest thing I've heard in my life!" Krystal exclaimed.

"Oh, it get's even funnier! Not only does he like it; he'll sit in his recliner and watch every movie in the series consecutively with an impossible amount of focus, and he'll throw out a bunch commentary throughout it! He even set up a petition for them to make another sequel!"

Both women laughed even harder until their heaving lungs, aching sides, and watery, tear-stung eyes couldn't take it anymore.

Krystal didn't think the day could get much better.

But sadly, all good things must eventually come to end.

And so it did...

With just one phone call.

* * *

**Gravity Falls- Present Day**

Krystal sat up and swung her legs over the bed, allowing them to hang off the side. Sighing, she ran her fingers through her hair, her head hanging low and her eyes closed. She casted her glance upward towards the window, and stared out at the moon.

The silvery orb of rock that floated hundreds of thousands of miles away rested high in the sky, illuminating the treetops and casting shadows across the room.

Krystal glanced over at the clock, which read 3:49, then at Mabel. The brunette slept peacefully in her bed, her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Making sure to be quiet as to not awken the young woman, Krystal slowly stands up and crosses the room. She then reaches the door and feels around for the doorknob.

creeeeek...

Krystal winces and shoots a glance behind her. She sees Mabel murmur something in her sleep, roll over, then everything was quiet again. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, the red-head slunk out of the room. She began her trek down the stairs cringing and wincing at every little sound. Finally, she reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed the living room, heading towards the kitchen.

Krystal froze when she spotted the faint glow of a light pouring out from the doorway to the kitchen. She stopped next to the doorway and peered inside. Above the small table in the kitchen, the lamp had been turned on and a lone figure sat under it. Krystal recognized the figure as her grandfather, who was sitting at the kitchen table with his head down, and...a half-empty bottle of alchohol in his hands?

"Grandpa..." she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear, but not loud enough as to wake anyone else.

Stan lifted his head and turned his gaze to Krystal, surprised to see her awake and wandering the Shack, as he was sure it was very late. "What are you doing up? What time is it?" the conman asked, his words slurring slightly.

Krystal could hear the sadness in his hollow-sounding voice. "It's late; well past midnight. And I couldn't sleep. And I'm guessing the reason I can't sleep is the same reason why you're sitting in here drinking a bottle a' Jack."

Stan turned his gaze from Krystal to the bottle of Jack Daniels in his right hand. "It's your mom, isn't it? The reason you can't sleep."

"Yeah," Krystal responded, sitting across from him at the table. "I miss her,"

"I miss her too, kid." Stan said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Savannah was a great woman and I was lucky to be able to call her my daughter. The same goes for Charlene." The old man took in a slightly ragged breath, trying t keep calm and not break down in front of Krystal. He needed to be strong- not just for his sake, but for her sake as well.

"She was an awesome mother, even if she was away a lot over-seas. She always kept in touch with auntie Lina and me." Krystal said, quoting what she had said just days earlier at the funeral.

"Yeah. She always sent me little souveniers from the places she was. Those are few of the things I wouldn't sell for even a billion dollars. And that's saying a lot!" the conman exclaimed, his voice still a whisper. A smile crossed his face, as did Krystal's.

"Hey, can I ask you something?" Krystal inquired, gaining the older's attention.

"Anything you need to ask, kid." Stan replied, his smile showing a little more then humor. He was probably a little tipsy.

" _The more relaxed he is, the better._ " she thought. Taking a deep breath, Krystal asked him a question she had only asked a few times, that he, her mom, and Charlene had always found some way to dodge:

"What was my dad like?"

The look in the old man's eyes went from mirth and happiness to anger and hatred in only a fraction of a second.

"It's late; you should try to get some sleep," he murmured.

"But-"

"I said go to sleep, Krystal. Now." the elderly man ordered.

Without so much as a good-night, Krystal turned on her heel and headed back to her room. Once he could no longer hear the squeaking of the steps, Stan's face fell as he slouched in his chair.

He couldn't tell Krystal about her father, because he knew if he did, she would want to know everything; where he was living, what was his name, how he met Savannah- every little detail. And then she'd try to track him down. Or at least, she'd try to track down his grave. Stan wasn't sure whether the man was alive or not, but he hoped the man who dared hurt his daughter was burning in the fiery depths of Hell.

Stan remembered the day his daughter returned home to Gravity Falls, pregnant with Krystal, and in tears. She had claimed her so-called _husband_ had left, and he was never coming back.

"Damn you, Daniels. Damn you!" Stan cursed quietly as to not awaken the others. He found a lot of irony in the situation; the one thing that seemed to be calming him down and comforting him was partly named after the man he hated the most.

Not too long after returning home, Savannah had given birth to Krystal and moved back to Texas with her sister, Charlene Pines. After a couple of years, she put Krystal into Charlene's care and went back into the military.

Savannah would return as often as she could to visit her family, and would continuously send them little souveniers from where she was, pictures, texts, and e-mails. She never seemed to forget about her family, even when they were thousands of miles away.

And on the nights she was with Krystal, she would tuck her in and tell her a story about things that would happen while she was stationed at the military base.

Krystal Pines- she was the most important thing to Savannah, and vice versa. So it was truly a heart-shattering moment when Savannah died. It was tragic for Savannah because she knew she was leaving behind the most precious thing she ever had. And tragic for Krystal knowing that the woman she had been raised by, that she looked up to and had been taught life skills and morals from- knowing that she had been killed. And in something that could've been avoided no-less.

* * *

Krystal had just shut the door she finally noticed the tears falling from her stormy eyes. She climbed into bed, her mind having moved from who her father was, back to her mother.

" _Mom wouldn't have died,_ " Krystal thought, her throat constricting and her heart twisting with emotion, " _if they had just let her come home. Or at least not give her the wrong coordinates and have her fly the helicopter into a highly dangerous zone._ " Krystal began to softly cry into her comforter, clutching a stuffed teddy bear close to her. "It's all their fault!" she whispered. "All their fault...All their fault..." Eventually she cried herself to sleep, the memory of that tragic day still fresh in her mind.


	9. Chapter Eight

As Charlene stood at the sink, washing dishes, Krystal brought her plate from the table and placed it on the counter next to the sink.

"Y'all want me to help with the dishes?" Krystal asked.

"No thanks, Krissy. It's your birthday, so go have fun and do whatever you want to. But keep your phone with you in case, alright?" Charlene replied.

"Sure, auntie Lina. Thank ya!" Krystal said, before hugging her aunt and running upstairs.

Once in her room, the red-head grabbed a small bag and tucked some supplies into it; bug spray, sunscreen, a towel, flip flops, sunglasses, and her phone. She also packed some peanut butter crackers and a bottle of water from the kitchen. Then she searched through her closet and found her swimsuit. It was an American-Flag-styled one-piece with wide straps that went around her neck and crossed in the back. The straps and chest part of the swimsuit was blue, while the rest was red-and-white-striped. She removed her clothes, slipped on the swim suit, and slipped her shorts and t-shirt over it, and put her shoes back on.

Krystal slung the bag over her shoulder and ran downstaris. She grabbed a red apple oout of a fruit bowl, said bye to her aunt Charlene once more, then ran out the back door. She made it to the horse stables, passing a few horses before coming to a stark black stallion. It's name had been engraved on a wooden board that went across the front of the stall, instead of written on a sticker. The inscription read: MIDNIGHT.

"Howdy, boy. You ready to go?" she asked the horse. It nieghed in reply, which she took as a yes. Krystal went around to the back of the stalls, careful as to not get kicked or stompd on by her equine friends. She got Midnight out of his stall, fed him the apple, and saddled him up. She then led her horse out of the pasture and was sure to close the gate behind her. She placed her foot in the stirrup and clambered up onto the dark brown leather saddle. She brought the strap over the bag over her head and laid it on her other shoulder so that it was secure. She then spurred the horse foreward and they took off into through the trees, and towards the lake.

"C'mon, boy! I know y'all are faster that this!" Krystal cried, spurring her horse once more. The horse gained speed, and the ground became a blur of brown and green below them.

Midnight carried Krystal to one of the few very remote, forest-like areas near the metropolitan town of Dallas. Krystal slipped off Midnight's back and allowed the horse to roam and graze on the grass as she took in the view; the land was flat and covered in grass, excluding the few yards of sandy shore that streached out from the lake. This was Krystal's favorite place to go during summer because it like her own little spot of relaxation.

Krystal walked down to the sandy shore, trusting that Midnight wouldn't run off. She pulled out her beach towel and laid it down, then pulled off her top, shorts, and boots. She slathered on some sunscreen, then laid back on her towel, deciding to relax in the sun a little before swimming.

"This- this is perfect." the young girl sighed.

The red-head lay there, lost in the tranquil silence, the only sounds being the occansional movement or munching sound made by Midnight as he ate. But suddenly, the perfectly serene moment was jacked up by a ringtone that was purely the product of a lost bet. A professional-sounding male voice sang:

I'm so cool, I'm so awesome.

This my super cool, super awesome song.

The voice then changed to the person's regular voice, saying:

Just kiddin'!

Now answer the phone Krissy!

Krystal picked up her phone and answered, wondering if having won that bet was a good thing.

"Hey Krystal! How's it going?" a guy on the other end asked.

"Pretty good," Krystal answered. "How 'bout you, Jason?" Jason was and had always been a close friend of Krystal's, and was only a year older than her, currently fourteen years of age. They'd both met about five years ago when he moved to Dallas from some big city in New York.

"Better, now that I'm hanging out with you." Jason replied. It sounded like he was right behind her.

"You sound really close," Krystal commented. She heard the sound of the other phone hanging up.

"That's because I'm right behind you." a voice whispered from behind.

The red-head whipped around to see her best friend Jason standing there. He was wearing a white t-shirt, tan cargo shorts and a pair of flip flops. He sat down beside Krystal, and she pushed him into the sand.

"Hey!" he cried. "What was that for?" He started brushing sand out of his blonde hair, shooting Krystal a glare.

"Because you sneaked up on me." Krystal replied cooly, placing on her sunglasses and laying back down on her towel.

Jason smirked as an idea came to mind. He pulled off his white t-shirt and his flip flops and placed them at the edge of the shore, far from the lake. As he walked to and from the edge of the shore where the sand met the grass, Krystal sat up and lowered her sunglasses, eyeing him suspiciously. Jason caught her stormy-eyed stare with his own light brown eyes. He winked at her and asked:

"Like what ya see?"

That one little question made Krystal flush. In mere moments, Krystal turned even paler than before, then she turned red, like she'd been out in the sun for a few hours instead of a few minutes. She turned away, trying to avoid further embarrassment.

"Why?" she whined quietly, questioning why the universe would want her to be so embarrassed at the moment, much less on her birthday. Suddenly, she felt a pair of arms pick her up and carry her bridal-style towards the lake.

"Ahh! What the- Jason what are you _doing?!_ " Krystal cried out. Suddenly, she was dropped into the water. She popped her head back up to the surface, standing in waist-deep water, and grabbed Jason, dragging him down.

"Hah!" she yelled when she came back up. "That's what ya get, Jason!"

Krystal danced around in the water for a few seconds before she realized that Jason hadn't come back up.

"Jason? Jason, come on. This isn't funny. Jason? Jason!" Krystal squeaked when she felt something brush against her ankle. "Jason!" Then she was pulled under. When she got back to the surface moments laters, she was met by the grinning face of her friend Jason.

"Oh my god- you pain in the butt!" she yelled, pushing him back. Krystal turned on her heel and began walking towards the shore. Suddenly, she felt Jason's hand grip her wrist and pull her back in.

"Come on- it was only a joke Krissy! Let's swim and enjoy the afternoon."

Krystal was a bit annoyed, but nevertheless relented, "Alright,"

What followed in the next couple of hours were various games such as splash wars, Marco Polo, and other things. Jason even took a rope he had brought and made a make-shift rope swing by tying the rope to a branch, claiming that it was the exact reason he'd brought it.

"Woo-hoo!" Krystal cried, letting go of the rope and diving into the lake. Jason dove in seconds after making a large splash. It prompted a cannonball war, which immeadiantly followed.

"YOLO!" Jason yelled at the top of his lungs before crashing into the water.

"Cannonball!" Krystal shouted, plunging deep into the lake. She resurfaced and began laughing. This had been the most fun she'd had in what felt like forever. Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her waist from behind and someone's chest press against her back. Krystal could feel warm breath cascading down her neck, and soft lips brushing gently against her ear.

"Let's get out of the lake and have a picnic. I brought some food." Jason whispered. He sounded casual as ever, but Krystal sensed something different in his voice.

"A-alright," Krystal replied, unsure of why he was holding her so close. It made her blush even more than earlier, if such was even possible.

Jason released Krystal, as if nothing had happened, and the duo swam to the shore. Jason searched through a bag he had brought with him, along with a picnic basket. He pulled a blanket out of the bag, along with a sealed plastic pitcher of sweet tea. He spread out the blanket and set down the basket. He pulled out plates, cups, utensils, and various fruits, vegetables, and sadwiches.

Krystal looked at Jason as she sat down across from him. "I don't suppose y'all had this all planned out?" She asked, though it sounded like a statement.

Jason held up his hands submissively. "Alright, ya got me." He reached one hand across and cupped Krystal's cheek, keeping his balance with his other hand as he leaned closer. His thumb continuously traced a curved line along the younger's cheekbone. "I just wanted to make your thirteenth birthday was the best it could be." Jason leaned in closer and placed a kiss on the cheek he didn't have cupped, pulling back after a few seconds. He could feel as Krystal's pale skin warmed and turned a deep pink under his hand.

"Ya know," he whispered, his face still close to Krystal's, "If your face gets any warmer, I'm gonna think you're running a fever." That comment only made Krystal's face grow warmer, and caused the blush to spread down her neck.

"Stop that," she said in a quiet tone, shyness evident on her face along with a hint of a smile.

"Stop what?" Jason asked coyly, inching closer.

"That!" Krystal laughed, gently pushing him back.

"Making you laugh and look like a tomato? Not likely, Krissy." Jason replied.

Krystal giggled and the two returned to eating. As they finished off their food, Krystal hopped up and began to walk back towards the lake.

"Woah, woah, woah- where are you going?" Jason asked, stepping in front of her.

"The lake of course," Krystal commented, walking around him.

"You know you're supposed to wait thirty minutes after eating before you go swimming, right?"

"Yeah,"

"Well then why are you going to the lake?"

"I don't have time to waste waiting around. This is _my_ afternoon- I need to make the most of it!" Krystal exclaimed.

"By risking getting a cramp and drowning?" Jason asked.

"Well what do you propose?"

"Well," Jason drawled out. He took Krystal's hand and led her back to the blanket. "I wrote something for you, and I thought I'd get a chance to sing it for you. Looks like I got that chance after all." Jason grabbed an acoustic guitar from behind the tree they sat under. He had hidden it there the night before, knowing Krystal would come here, they could meet, and he could sing this for her. He started strumming the chords, and seconds after, he began to sing, his voice almost hypnotic.

**...**

**Baby I love you with all my heart.**

**I want you in my life.**

**Baby I love you with all my soul.**

**I need you by my side.**

**...**

**Baby you're worth more than gold.**

**No need in askin' why.**

**Baby you're the only thing in the world**

**That money can't buy.**

**...**

**You're worth more than platinum,**

**Or silk, or jewels, or satin.**

**You're worth more than diamonds.**

**Your looks- baby, they're so timeless.**

**...**

**You're priceless,**

**You're timeless.**

**For a man to give you up,**

**He'd have to be mindless.**

**...**

**It's hard for me to understand**

**How you don't see**

**How beautiful and wonderful you are.**

**And how much you mean to me.**

**...**

**And I hope that you always know**

**That's there's no length I won't go.**

**To keep you safe,**

**And keep you happy.**

**To keep you smiling**

**And keep you laughing.**

**...**

**There's nothing I wouldn't say,**

**Nothing I wouldn't do,**

**Every single day**

**Just for you.**

**...**

**So don't leave me, baby.**

**Cause you know it would drive me crazy!**

**Don't leave me, honey.**

**You're the only thing that money**

**Can't buy.**

**So don't say good-bye,**

**Just stay by side.**

**...**

**'Cause baby I love you with all my heart.**

**I want you in my life.**

**Baby I love you with all my soul.**

**I need you by my side.**

**...**

**Baby you're worth more than gold.**

**No need in askin' why.**

**Baby you're the only thing in the world**

**That money can't buy.**

**...**

**Yeah, baby I love you.**

**Baby, I love youuu.**

**Oh baby...**

**I love you~**

**...**

As Jason strummed the last chord, a tear slid down Krystal's cheek.

"Oh my gosh...Jason- you wrote that? For me?" the red-head asked in disbelief.

Jason smiled widely. "Yeah, I did."

"But why?"

"Because," Jason said as he reached down and clasped Krystal's hands in his own, pulling her to feet and closer to himself. "I really, really care about you Krystal. I... Well, I think I love you. And what better way to tell you than to sing it when you don't know how to say it?"

"Jason, we're both very young. We don't even know what love is. How do we know when we feel it for someone?" Krystal argued.

"Krystal- love is a feeling. You know when you feel it. And it's something I feel for you." Jason replied, leaning closer. "How do you feel?"

"Well...I don't know. I care about you, too. But I don't know if I love you." she answered.

"Well then," Jason said, his forehead pressed gently against Krystal's and their lips inches away, "Kiss me and find out." Though it was a request, it sounded more like a demand.

Krystal's eyes widened and she blushed heavily. She internally debated on whether or not she should do this. After a few moments, she finally leaned in to kiss him. Although, she could've sworn that she saw a gleam in Jason's eyes as her eyelids lowered; it made something go off in the back of her mind. But it quickly disappeared, destroyed by the blissful haze that entered her head and clouded her thoughts.

" _It's probably the sun reflecting off of his eyes,_ " she thought dismissively

Just as their lips nearly brushed against each other's, Krystal's phone rang, snapping her out of her blissful state.

"It's auntie Lina," Krystal said, examining the caller ID. "I should get this." Krystal flipped open the phone and said, "Hello? Auntie Lina?"

" _Hey Krissy. Sorry if I'm interrupting your 'me time', but you should get back; it's nearly supper time._ " Charlene informed Krystal.

"Oh," Krystal said, looking almost crestfallen. "Alright, I'll be right there."

" _Good. I should have supper done by time you walk through the front door. Love you, Krissy._ "

"Love you too, auntie Lina. Bye," Krystal hung up the phone and tossed it in her bag. "Sorry," she said, turning to Jason. "I have to go. I'll see you later, though, alright?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, see ya later, Krissy." He seemed a little disappointed.

Nevertheless, Krystal slipped her clothes and shoes back on, gathered her supplies and put them back in her bag, then slung it over her shoulder and got on Midnight.

"Ya want a ride home?" Krystal asked, casting her glance downwards towards her friend.

"Nah, but thanks. See ya." Jason said, waving. Krystal waved back, and he continued until she was out of sight. Once she was gone, his smile turned into a scowl and he punched the tree. He cried out in pain and pulled back his hand, muttering curses under his breath.

" _So close,_ " he thought. " _I was so close, but that old hag had to call and ruin everything! Couldn't she have waited a few more seconds?!_ " Jason took deep breaths, trying to calm down. " _No matter. She'll be mine soon enough. I won't let anyone take Krystal away from me. I love her, and she's mine. It's only a matter of time before we're together. From there, it'll all run smoothly._ " Jason grinned. "I'll see you soon, my love." he said, before packing up his stuff and heading home.


	10. Chapter Nine

Krystal tossed and turned in her bed, the sheets wrapping around her, trapping her within a warm, fluffly cacoon. Anyone who looked at her would immeadiantly suspect she was having nightmare. And those people would be right.

"Phone...call...mom...not coming...home..." the red-head muttered in her sleep.

She continued to mumble incoherencies as her face displayed what seemed to be sadness as the nightmare continued, her tossing and turning growing even more frequent.

Some might wonder what was happening in her nightmare, and why she was tossing and turning so much. But the answer is quite simple; the nightmare going on inside of Krystal's mind is of a memory she won't soon (if ever) forget: being told that her mother was no longer alive.

That day her biggest fear had come true, and her world had shattered into a million pieces all around her, leaving her all alone in her sorrow. Sure, she wasn't the only one to mourn her mother's death, nor was she only one still mourning, but she still felt so alone. Less so now since she knew the gnomes shared in her pain in the same way, and that she had been able to help them. But the hurt never went away, and even after years it would probably still be there.

* * *

**Dallas Texas- One Week Prior**

Krystal quickly unsaddled her horse and put the equipment away. As soon as she was finished, she ran as fast as she could to the house, making sure to give the animals a bit of attention as she passed by them.

Once Krystal walked inside, she sat down her bag on the kitchen counter. She was about to call out for her aunt when she heard the phone ring. Krystal ran over to the reciever on the kitchen counter when she heard something else.

"Hello?" Krystal heard Charlene ask, the sound of her voice coming from the living room. Krystal peeked through the doorway and saw that Charlene had picked up the reciever.

"Oh, hello Sergeant Powers, how are you doing?" Charlene replied to the person on the other end of line, whom she refered to as Sergant Powers.

" _Seargeant Powers?_ " Krystal wondered. Her face suddenly brightened and she silently snapped her fingers. " _That's right; he's Mom's commanding officer or something. From what Mom said, he's a pretty good guy, and a good friend._ "

Krystal silently tiptoed to the second reciever, which lay on the kitchen counter, momentarily debating on what she sould do before she finally picked up the phone to eavesdrop on the conversation. She listened closely, hoping to hear some news about her mom, and perhaps when she'd be coming home.

"Hello Miss Pines," Powers greeted. Something about the man's tone seemed off. It gave Krystal a strange feeling, as if something was about to happen.

"So, did you call about Savannah? Is she comin' home soon?" Charlene inquired.

Krystal rocked back and forth on her feet, a wide smile painted on her face despite the strange feeling she had gotten moments earlier, eagerly awaiting a reply from the man. But the one he gave was something she hadn't been expecting at all;

"I'm afraid Savannah won't be coming home." the sergant answered. His voice sounded slightly strained.

All at once, everything seemed to stop, and the world stood completely still in a deathly silence. No one breathed. No one spoke. No one even moved in the slightest. Finally, Charlene was able get out a response, though it was a weak one.

"Wh-what? What do you mean?" the woman asked, fearing the worst.

Her fears were confirmed when Powers said, "I'm sorry Charlene, but Savannah is gone. She-"

Krystal dropped the reciever before Powers could finish and fell to the floor beneath her feet, tears beginning to streak down her face and a wail of sorrow and anguish escaped her throat.

"What is that?!" Powers exclaimed. But he was met with no other response other than Charlene's own sobbing.

In a broken, shaky voice Charlene said, "I-I'll c-c-call you b-back," She hung up the phone no more than a second later and raced to the kitchen, finding Krystal lying on the floor, shaking as the sobs wracked her body.

The young teen's world was dark and empty. Not even Charlene's words reached her ears, as they were drowned out by the cries of her shattered heart. Krystal curled up in a ball on the floor, crying until she couldn't cry anymore. Once her sobs finally subsided to a few tears and the occassional sniffle, her throat was dry and scratchy and her face was warm and wet with tears.

She retreated to her room, where she stayed for the rest of the day. She didn't even leave to eat. She would just stay locked up in her room, staring at old photographs of her and her mother, wondering what could've happened.

Charlene came in late in the evening the next day and told Krystal about what happened. She said that Powers had told her it was an accident, and that Savannah had been given the wrong coordinates and the helicopter had been flown into a dangerous, highly restricted area and was shot down. In no way did the explaination help the pain in Krystal's heart. If anything, it only made it worse.

* * *

The army plane had arrived to Dallas three days after Charlene and Krystal had recieved the news, and soldiers carried in the casket that held the body of Savannah Pines.

Many people were attending the funeral, including family members, friends, soldiers that Savannah had fought with, and almost everyone from the town. The funeral home was more than full, as people were lined up against the walls and sitting in the isles between the sections of pews and extra chairs. Krystal spotted Jason, who walked up next to her. He stood by her side through the whole thing, occassionally holding her hand. She also saw her grandfather Stan, who had gathered up enough money to pay for a plane ticket. (Not that he didn't have more than enough money to do so.)

Several people gave eulogies to commemorate Savannah, but Krystal didn't hear most of it. All she could think about was how much she missed her mother.

Finally, Krystal was called up to speak.

Krystal took many deep breaths, attempting to steady herself and keep from breaking down at the podium. She then placed both hands on the podium, leaning on it slightly, and spoke into the microphone;

"Howdy everyone," she said, struggling to keep her voice from breaking or cracking. "All of you knew my mother, Savannah Pines. Some more than others." Krystal fought to keep her breathing steady and her eyes free of tears as she continued;

"The men and women here that fought along side her would say she was a good soldier. The people of this town, as well as her other friends, would say she was a good friend. Aunt Charlene would say she was a good sister, and her father, Stan Pines, would say she was good daughter. But most of all, she was good mother. She was an amazing mother, even if she was over-seas a lot. She always kept in touch with Auntie Lina and me, as well as her close friends and family. I know all of you feel proud to have known her as a comrad, a collegue, a sister, a daughter, a friend- you all knew her, and I know that you all miss her. But mama wouldn't want us to sit around moping, even though her death is a tragic thing. Instead, she would want us to go out, to live our lives, and remember her in our hearts not as she is now, but as the great woman she once was. We're all gonna miss her, but..."

Krystal took a deep breath, looking down her feet, and now on the verge of crying. In a small whisper, nearly inaudible if not for the microphone, she said, "We have to move on."

After having said those words, Krystal felt as if her heart was breaking all over again. She felt like collapsing again and drowning herself in her own tears. She felt as if her heart was being ripped out of her chest over and over by an unknown force that wanted to cause her endless misery.

She felt so sad...

...So lonely...

...So cold...

...So empty...

Krystal tried her best not to burst into another seemingly-endless round of sobbing as she turned to glance at her mother, who's face was visible while she lay in the casket. She had been clothed in a dress of her favorite color, bright orange, with silver, diamond-encrusted jewelry. Her hair had been brushed and left down, it's natural wavy-ness still there even after she had died, and perfectly framing her peaceful face.

But just glancing at her mother proved to be too much for Krystal, and tears began to flow from her eyes as soon as she caught sight of her. Krystal wrapped her arms around herself, a gentle tremor shaking her body as she tried to hold back her sobs.

She quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, turned away, and walked back to her seat where Jason was waiting or her. The redhead took a seat next to her blonde friend, who wrapped his arm around her. She leaned into the touch, welcoming the comfort it gave her, as well as the warmth which help keep her from freezing in the cold funeral home.

* * *

As the men, women, and children attending the funeral exited the bulding, rain continued to pour as it had for hours, cascading down onto the earth from the dark clounds that hung above them.

Everyone got in their own cars or trucks and headed for the local graveyard. There was little to no problem getting there seeing as all the possible traffic was involved in the precession.

The casket was removed from the vehicle that had carried it, and the body of Savannah Pines was lowered into the ground, never to be seen again except in the memories of loved ones and in the many pictures taken of the green-eyed soldier throughout her life.

The aftermath such a tragic event would continue to affect people in the coming days, weeks, and possibly even months or years.

It would surely affect Krystal very much, as she was closer to Savannah than almost anyone.

The redhead began to make here way back to her aunt's truck. She had to get home soon and start packing. According to her mother's will, if anything should happen to her she would want Stan taking care of Krystal provided that he was still alive. So now Krystal would be leaving Dallas, Texas for Gravity Falls, Oregon.

Even though the redhead wanted to stay here for a few more weeks, she decided a change of pace and scenery, as well as getting hundreds of miles away from where all of the heart-wrenching sadness and sobbing had occured would be better for her. She would certainly miss home, but it wouldn't be healthy for her to stay here and sob her eyes out day after day until she got so dehydrated that she herself keeled over.

Besides, Gravity Falls couldn't be all that bad. Her grandfather seemed to love it (though it probably had to do with all the money he made), and her mother always said great things about it, and even made up stories about strange creatures that lived in the woods. Charlene even promised to ship her all of Savannah's old stuff once Krystal had gotten to her new home.

Krystal continued to think about these things as she climbed into the truck's cab and began searching the radio for something to listen to while she waited for Charlene. As the young teen glanced out the window, she spotted a single figure standing next to the open hole of her mother's grave. The figure was a tall, brown-haired male dressed completely in black. The man looked down at his hand before turning away from the open grave. For a split-second his and Krystal's eyes locked. The man's eyes were a stormy gray like Krystal's, which the teen found a bit strange, but not something she couldn't write off as a coincidence. After all, she knew she wasn't the only person in the world with grey eys.

After a few moments of silently staring, the man's facial expression shifted slightly, a hint of smile appearing on his face, and he turned away. He began to walk away, navigiating throught the many cars in the cemetary. Krystal averted her eyes as well, not wishing to know where the man went, nor who he was.

Even so, a strange sense of curiousity filled her, as something about the man struck a familiar point with her in the back of her mind. Had she seen him before? No. She couldn't have. She would've remembered, wouldn't she? Or maybe she met him when she was younger? No, that didn't seem right. Nevertheless, the redhead could not stop thinking about how familiar the man seemed, and yet how sure she was that she had never even _seen_ him before!

Here train of thought was broken when Charlene opened the door and climbed into the driver's seat. Seeing the concentrated look on her niece's face, Charlene began to ask her if she was okay.

"You just looked a bit out of it. Almost like you were in some sort of trance." the older woman commented. "Are you sure nothing's wrong?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just...Mom's death." Krystal half-lied. Sure, she still couldn't get it out of her head, but now something else began to plauge her mind. And that something was the curiousity about the man's identity. She knew she had seen that face _somewehere..._

"Well don't worry, " Charlene said, once again pulling Krystal out of her thoughts. "About this time the day after tomorrow, you'll be in the sleepy and rural town of Gravity Falls, and everything will be fine. You can get in touch with nature and even spend some well-deserved and quite overdue time with your grandfather and cousins."

"Everything will be fine," Krystal echoed. "Yeah,"

A small smile spread across Krystal's face. Sure, it was dark and cold now, but the sun would come out again and things would get better. After all, life couldn't have good days without the bad days to balance them out.

At this thought, the redhead began to relax in her seat as Charlene drove them home. Once they got there, she jumped out of the truck, ran inside, and began packing. As she packed her various belongings in several suitcases and boxed up most of what she wouldn't be able to take with her, only one simple thought was on here mind at this point;

" _Everything will be fine._ "


	11. Author's Note

Hey everybody! I have a message for everyone who's a fan of this story! Life got busy for me, things happened, and Gravity Falls season two really threw all of us for a loop, I think. But, given the events of season two, I have decided that TToKP needs a serious reboot! I am currently working on re-writing the story with a friend of mine, and updates begin next Fall! I'll be releasing an exact date sometime next year! 

If you would like to message me, you can find me on FanFiction.net and Tumblr under the same screen name. My co-writer and I will be making a TToKP-specific Tumblr sometime soon for info, extras, and updates! And don't be shy, my Tumblr ask box is always open!!!


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